With gay marriage and the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community being debated on the national level, some school administrators seek to limit such speech in the schools, and student journalists are find it tough to report on the issues.
Tag: Fall 2009
Digital yearbooks capture memories with new medium
For decades, high school students have anxiously awaited the arrival of yearbooks —?a day filled with gushing over prom photos or exchanging books to sign personal messages. But Greg Ruiz thought there was a better way to remember his high school memories than with a traditional publication.
Power of the principal
Principals have struggled with how to handle their power over student media since the Supreme Court shifted a portion of responsibility for school-sponsored publications to administrators.
Student governments close doors
Government officials are no strangers to scandals. And —?as some Texas college journalists learned — neither is student government.
This headline has been redacted due to FERPA
More than 30 years later and months after the latest round of legal interpretations, open records advocates, elected officials and journalists are questioning FERPA’s application and wondering just how far from the law’s original intent schools are willing to go to shield information from the public.
Controversial posts lead to questions
For both the student and professional media, user comments on Web sites are the basis of a growing number of lawsuits. Editors are attempting to grapple with how they should respond —?ethically and legally —?to controversial comments left on their sites by anonymous posters.
Profiles cause crackdown
The reach of school officials has extended beyond the schoolhouse gate to the World Wide Web, where pictures on Facebook, a posting on MySpace or a comment on a personal blog can now mean punishments for students.
Police vs. press
Search warrants, arrests, pepper spray — most student journalists manage to avoid extreme situations involving law enforcement while doing their jobs. However, two college photojournalists recently found themselves in situations that highlighted tensions between the press and the police
Understanding cybershield law
Student journalists and school administrators should be aware of the protection Section 230 may offer — as well as its limits — when they venture into cyberspace.
Top programs not immune to prior review
Henry Rome and Seth Zweifler have, between them, picked up just about every honor that a high school journalist can compete for.